Acetylene-gas generator.



Patented June I9, |900.

No. eslaz.

A; MCKENZIE. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Jan. 27, 1899.)

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UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANGUs MoKENzIE, oF JAMEsTowN, NEW YORK, AssIeNoE To THE FENToN METALLIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY; oF SAME PLAGE.

AoETYLENE-GAVS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 651,882, dated June 19, 1900.

Application led January 27, 1899. Serial No. 703,566. (No model.)

TontZZ whom it may concern-f Be it known that I, ANGUs MCKENZIE, a resident of Jamestown, in the countyof Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Acetylene- Gas Generators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to generators for acetylene gas, oneobject being to provide a cheap and light formof gas generator andholder adapted for portable plants.

It has for a further object the construction of such a generator and holder in which valves are done away with, all the joints at which the gas could be exposed being under the control of Water seals.

It comprises, generally stated, a lower tank with an upper gas-holder telescoping therewith, the upper gas-holder carrying one or more gas-generating chambers each having a depending tube extending into the water of the tank and around the chamber an annular water-sealing chamber, within whichV an inverted-cup sealing-box enters and from which the carbid-basket is suspended, this generating-chamber having a pipe leading therefrom to a water seal supported in the upper part of the gas-holder above the waterlevel of the tank, through which the "gas must pass to enter the gas-holder, and this second water-sealing chamber being provided with a gooseneck-filling opening by which the water-supply therein may be maintained. l

It also comprises certain other improvements hereinafter more fully described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in whichp Figure l is a longitudinal section of one form of gas-generating apparatus embodying the invention. Fig. 2 isha like View onf another form; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each view.

As the generator embodying the invention is preferably employed as a portable generator, the tank a is built of suitable heavy sheet metal and supported on feet b, preferably having casters b', so providing for its movement in any direction around the building. Telescopin g with this tank a is the gas-holder B, which enters within thesame and forms a water-seal joint therewith, as shown. 'This gas-holder has arranged in the upper part and preferably centrally thereof the gas-generating chamber c,which, as illustrated, is formed cylindrical and has below the same a con- 6o tracted portion forming the depending tube d, which enters within the water of the tank, forming a seal for the lower part of the generator-chamber, while permitting the water to rise into contact with the calcium carbid suppprted therein. The generator-chamber with its depending tube are supported from the top wall b2 of the gas-holder by means of the depending tubular case e, which is closed at the bottom by the horizontal annular wall 7o e', connecting this case and the generatorchamber, and which forms with the outer wall c' of the generator-chamber the annular water-seal chamber f. Fitting within said annular water-seal chamber f is the inverted cup g, which telescopes within such chamber, forming a Water seal therewith to prevent escape of the gas into the atmosphere. This inverted cup is provided with the hook g', from whiclrthe carbid-basket his hun-g within the 8o chamber c. It is evident, of course, that the generator-chamber c may itself support the carbid-basket-such, for example, by a grating cfthough the above is a very simple construction. As thegenerator-chamber c has water seals at each end, means must be provided to permit the passage of the gas therefrom, and for this purpose I employ the pipe 7c, leading from the upper end of the generator-chamber downwardly through the annu- 9o lar water-sealing space f and thence into the sealing-cup Z, which is arranged in two different ways, as foimd in Figs. l and 2. In Fig.

, l the pipe 7c leads downwardly through the annular water-sealing space and then rises upwardly, as at k', within the'sealing-cup Z,

and `fitting over the upper end of this part lo' of the pipe is placed the inverted-cup trap k2, which fits within thesealing-cup Zmand forms a gas seal therewith, the cup'- trap resting roo loosely upon the pipe k', while its base enters within the water within the sealing-cup Z, so

that the gas must pass into the trap k2 andv being dispensed with because the pipe entersdownwardly into the sealing-cup'and the gas being thus forced downwardly through the water contained within the sealing-cup. In order to insure the maintenance of the proper body of water to form the water seal within V the sealing-cupl Z or m, asthe case may be, I employthe Siphon-tube or gooseneck mextending through the top of thegas-holder B and thence downwardly below the sealing-cup and rising into the base of the same, the pipe n havinga funnel at its upper end to provide means for feeding water into the sealing-cup, though access cannot be obtained directly to the same.v In Fig. 2 I have shown two of these gas-generating chambers with the means of sealing the same and with the depending l tubes, as above described, it being desirable 'the ash.'

in some` ot these generators, especially of larger size, to employ more than one generator-chamber, as it permits the charging of the one basket while the supply of gas is being kept up in the other generator-chamber.

As it is extremely desirable to employ a lightweight generator where a portable generator is used, I form in the lower part of the tank a the annular air-chamberp, having the,

outer wall p", the top wall p2, and the inner wallv p3, the bottom a' of the tank forming the base of this air-chamber. In this way I provide the annular water-space fr between the air-chamber p and the outer wall of the tank within which the body of the gas holder B telescopes, it being simply necessary to have an annular space there for this purpose about an inch in width, and at the same time the inner wall p3 forms the well s, which aiords all necessary space for the entrance of the body of the generator-chamber c and its depending tube into the water-space of the tank, this well s corresponding substantially in shape to the generator-chamber and its depending tube, having the enlarged upper end portion s', within which the generator-chamber enters, and the narrow base portion s`2 to receive the depending tube d, the connecting-wall 33 between these two portions of the wellY being inclined to direct any lime or ash, as it is termed, downwardly in the well s, and the lower end of said seal being funnel-shaped, as at s4, to direct any ash which may collect from passing down through the tube d, while at the base of the well is a suitable faucet S5 to provide for tapping ont To maintain proper water-levels between Vthe annular tank-chamber r and well s, the water may be maintained at a point above the top wall p2 of the air-cham-y 'ing sufficient to fill the same.

more than one generator-chamber-is-used, eXtra wells s are of course employed, as shown in Fig. 2, The gas-outlet pipe tcommunicates with the gas-holder above the water-line and leads downwardly through the air-chamber p and thencel outwardly t0 a point where, it the invention is used with a portable generator, the'connection can be made by means of flexible hose to carry the gas to the point of consumption.

In the use of the generator above de scribed the tank a is Iilled with water to the desired point, and both the water-#sealing chamber faround the generator-chamber c and the sealing-cup lor l1n are filled with water, the latter beingilled through the pipe n. A basket h is filled with calcium carbid and either inserted in the chamber c, so as to rest upon the grating c2, or while suspended from the seaiing-box g it is lowered into the chamber, the sealing-box entering the sealing-space f and forming awater-seal joint with the same. It the generator contained no gas when the body of carbid was so lowered into the generator-chamber c, gas generation will immediately commence, and the gas generated by the decomposition of the water through the union -of the hydrogen thereof with the carbon of thecarbid will pass upwardly within the cup or cover g and downwardly through the pipe 7c and willrise within the sealing-cup Z and into the trap 702 and downwardly through the water nof the sealing-cup into the gas-holding chamber. Thismay continue untilthe gas under pressure and within the gas-holding chamber raises the gas-holder Band sodrawsthe carbid out of contact with the water in thetank, when, as soon as all water adhering to the carbid is utilized in making gas, .the making of the gas will be discontinued until the gasholder is lowered by the consumption of gas so as to bring the carbid again .into the Water. When it is desired to recharge the generator, it is only necessary to pour water down into the filling-tube n, so as to insure a positive water seal for the pipe c'or m leading from the generator-chamber c, a cup of water be- The cover g can then be raised from the generator-chamber, and as both ends of that chambervare sealed from the interior'of the gas-holder, one by the cup l or m and the other by the den pending tubed, there can be no escape ofthe gas contained in the gas-holder, andthe generator can 4be quickly recharged and theoperat-ion of gas-making resumed by insertion of the newly-filled basket withinthe generating-chamber, as abovel described. In this way a very simple form of generator is provided and one which has no ordinary Valves to be acted upon by the gas or to leak through .ordinary causes, the only valve in the whole construction being that for tapping out the ash at the bottom of the well s. The gener ator can be made'light,I so as. to .be easily moved around, and it can be employed for IOO.

IOS

IIO

Y gas-holder teleseoping with the tank and en-V all purposes for which portable acetylenegenerators are found applicable, While the construction forms avery efficient one for an ordinary stationary generator.

The generator can of course be employed for the generation of gas by the Contact of any liquidand solid, and, While especially described as an acetylene-generator, the apparatus is of course claimed for such purposes.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination with atank having an annular air-chamber formed therein and an annular Water-sealing space between the airchamber and the outer tank-wall, and a Water-sealing Well Within the air-chamber, of a tering Within the annular sealing-space and having a depending tube entering the well within the air-chamber, substantially as Vset forth.

2. The combination with a gas-holder having a gas-generatin g chamber supported thereby and a depending tube of smaller diameter than said chamber, of a tank having an inner annular air-chamber forming with the tank, an annular Water-sealing space for the gas-holder and a Water-Well provided with an enlarged upper end to receive the gas-generating chamber and a contracted lower portion to receive its depending tube, substantially as set forth.

The combination with a gas-holder having a gas-generating chamber supported thereby provided with a depending tube, of a tank having an inner annular air-chamber forming with the tank-walls an annular Water-sealing space for the gas-holder, and having a Water-Well to receive the depending tube of the generator-chamber, said Well having a tapering face and'a'tapping-spigot at the baseVY U of the well, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said ANGUS MCKENZIE, have hereunto set my hand.

ANGUS MOKENZIE.

Witnesses:

F. R. RIDELL, A. F. WEBER. 

